“Harley.” Rebel took my hands.
“No! They wouldn’t do that to me!” I shouted.
I pushed away from the bar and ran out the front door. I didn’t check to see if Achilles was behind me. I jumped into my truck and floored it out of the parking lot. My head swam and my stomach rumbled as I headed down the back streets. Rain began to fall as I headed towards my parents’ house. They wouldn’t have kept that from me, would they? I mean, I knew they hated me, but to keep something like that a secret? I screeched to a stop in front of the house and jumped out of the truck. One of the living room lights was on as I trudged up the front walk. I unlocked the door and stepped into the foyer. The TV was on low in the living room and I headed that way. My father was passed out in his chair, a glass of bourbon on the table.
“Wake up!” I shouted, gripping him by the front of his robe. “Where is it?”
“Huh? What? What the hell?” my father slurred.
“Where is it, Dad? Where’s the letter Holden wrote to me?”
“What the hell you talkin’ bout, boy? What letter?”
I narrowed my eyes. Underneath that bravado, my father was scared shitless.
“You’re lying! I know he would have written me a letter! He would have never left me without saying something!”
“What the hell is wrong with you? We didn’t get any letter!”
“You didn’t, huh? Fine. Watch this shit, Dad.”
I stomped out of the living room and headed for the garage. I knew where they kept the keys to Holden’s bike.
“Where you goin’?!” my father shouted.
“To take what’s mine!”
Chapter 6
Achilles
I was out of the bar so fast, I think Rebel’s head spun. Harley had a minute on me at the most. I took off down the alley and jumped on my bike. I had a feeling I knew where Harley was going. Rain began to fall as I headed in the direction of the Payne’s house. The roads were becoming slick as I rounded the curve to Harley’s parents’ house. A light lit up the road and I realized it was the garage door opening. Harley shot out on a motorcycle and flew into the street. The back end skidded a bit and then Harley righted it. I knew I could catch him on my Tomahawk, but I didn’t want to freak him out.
I followed less than a mile behind him and kept my eyes on the road ahead of me. Harley took the Seventeen exit and I cursed. The roads were getting worse as the rain turned into snow. Harley was going almost ninety as we hit a curve in the road and he seemed to speed up before the next curve ahead of us.
“Slow down, Harley!” I shouted. Not that he’d hear me, but what the hell. “Goddammit!” I hissed as Harley took another curve way too fast.
He was going to wipe out. Even on my Tomahawk with four fucking wheels, I had to navigate them more slowly. The back end of Harley’s motorcycle fishtailed and then the bike slid, taking Harley down with it. My heart stopped in my chest as the bike slid across the Seventeen, heading right for the guardrail.
Metal crunched as the bike met the guardrail and I heard the distinct sound of Harley’s scream. His hand flew out, grabbing the jagged metal of the rail before he flew over the side. The motorcycle took flight over the drop. I came to a squealing stop and dumped my bike, running after Harley who was hanging precariously over the edge.
“Harley!” I shouted. “Hang on!”
“Achilles?! Help me!”
I ran to him, throwing my body forward as Harley lost his grip. I grabbed his wrist and Harley shouted in pain. I wrapped my other hand around his bicep and hauled him up and into my lap. I pulled his helmet off carefully.
“Are you all right?” I asked, panicked.
“My hand hurts, and I think I broke my leg,” Harley sobbed. “Holden’s bike…it’s gone.”
“Fuck the bike!” I snarled. “Dammit! You could have died! What the fuck were you thinking?” I assessed Harley quickly. The metal of the guardrail had cut through his leather jacket. I removed it carefully and tried to get a good look at Harley’s wound. I whipped off my jacket and then took off my shirt. Ripping off the bottom of the shirt, I wrapped it around Harley’s arm. I tried to get a good look at his leg, but it was too dark. I felt around, trying to feel if there was a break.
“Fuck!” Harley stiffened as I ran my hand over his shin.
“Don’t move!” I ordered. I called the police and kept Harley close to me. He was shivering and probably going into shock. I alerted the police to where we were and then wrapped my jacket around Harley’s trembling frame.
“They’re coming,” I assured him.